Tom Varley collection

Tom Varley
Occupation	Caravan park operator
Home town	Gisburn
Known for	Preserving steam wagons
Spouse(s)	Susan
Children	David, Terence, Catherine

Tom Varley was a collector of steam-powered vehicles, known for the Tom Varley Collection, a steam museum mostly of steam wagons, "a lasting legacy of which [British steam road enthusiasts] can be proud".

His business was in running Todber Caravan Park at Gisburn, in the high Pennines of Lancashire. The steam museum was housed in a barn alongside the caravans. The collection was best known from its frequent appearances at steam rallies through the 1970s and '80s. Varley's wagons were recognisable from their fine paintwork and signwriting, each named and prefixed Pendle ....

Six of his rarer, and often unique survivors, were re-imported from Australia before restoration.

Tom Varley died in the 1990s. His contribution to the preservation of steam vehicles in the UK has been widely recognised.

List of vehicles

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The vehicleslisted have at one point formed part of the Tom Varley collection. Since his death, some have now been sold on to new owners, and several have been renamed by them.

Name	Make and No.	Reg no.	Photo	Description / notes
2 Pendle Queen	3 ton Yorkshire steam wagon Works N 940	U 4245		Tom's second steam wagon, rebuilt in 1970. Now owned by Tom's son, David Varley, repainted red and exhibited under his name.
3 Pendle Prince	1931 Fowler steam wagon Works Nº19708.	UB 8660		Rebuilt from remains found in scrap pile in Leeds.
5 Pendle King	Sentinel DG6P steam waggon Works Nº8562	FD 6603		1931 11 ton Sentinel DG6P.
7 Pendle Maid	2 ton Yorkshire steam wagon No. 117	CA 170		Rebuilt in 1973 by Tom Varley. Restored from bare chassis recovered in Wales. Now owned by John Ward and renamed as Denby Maiden.
8 Pendle Laddie	Yorkshire steam wagon, Works Nº WG 2118	UA 1163		Yorkshire WG flexible six wheeler Works of 1927, 'Pendle Laddie'. Rebuilt by Tom Varley from parts recovered by Walter Fearnley. This vehicle was supplied to the Leeds Corporation Electricity Department as a cable carrier.
9 Pendle Knight	1929 Robey 'Express' steam tractor	VL 983		Later fitted with pneumatic front wheels. Now renamed as Kernow Knight.
12 Her Majesty	Atkinson steam wagon Works Nº72 ?	CK 209		The last known surviving Atkinson steam wagon,. Exported to Western Australia when new and recovered by Tom Varley in the 1970s.. Now owned by Preston Steam Services in Kent.
18 Queen Anne	Yorkshire steam wagon, Works Nº WG 2128	UA 1788		. Shaft-drive Yorkshire wagon. Originally a chain-drive WG model, this was restored using the shaft-drive gearbox from a later WJ model. The original gearbox and drive was then used for WG 2118.
His Lordship	Burrell 10NHP Showmans No. 3444	CK 3403		Sold in 1996 to J. G. Atkinson of the Scarborough Fair Collection.
Unnamed	Foden Colonial steam wagon Works Nº4086	-		5 ton "Colonial" steam wagon. Sold new to C H Curtis, Manly, Australia, then to "Glenreagh " Lake Cargelligo. Recovered and restored by Tom Varley in the 1970s. Sold later to Germany, then returned to UK by Mike Plumb, Norfolk.
unnamed	Aveling & Porter steam wagon, Works Nº9282	-		FGPA steam wagon of 1921. Exported to Australia and recovered by Tom Varley in 1978. Later sold to Peter Rigg of Todmorden.
unnamed	1923 Garrett 4 ton undertype steam wagon	-		Works unknown, possibly 34347 Rear axle, gearing and crankshaft re-imported in 1980s. Incorporated into other Garrett wagon restorations.
unnamed	Howard traction engine Works Nº24	-		J. & F. Howard two-speed traction engine of 1872. Re-imported from Australia in 1980 Sold, along with the Aveling & Porter, to Peter Rigg of Todmorden.
unnamed	1921 Foster 5 ton steam wagon Works Nº14077	SV 5506		The last surviving Foster wagon. Re-imported from Australia by Tom Varley in 1983. Now named William Tritton

Note some images are from more recent times with new owners.

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Tom Varley collection